Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 matching your filters

Humans learn by doing. We master how to ride a bike not by watching a PowerPoint presentation but by trying it out and falling down. Yet, in school, most of our time is spent listening and memorizing facts. But the world is changing. As computer games become more social and computers become more prevalent in the classroom, the opportunity for true interactive multi-player learning through games and simulations is finally becoming tangible.

This interactive presentation will focus on how simulations can change the way we learn. Using examples from corporate training and the K-12 space, it will explore how simulations can teach children and adults in ways that increase engagement and retention of knowledge.

The presentation will include examples of both successful and unsuccessful simulations and chart a path of how simulations can revolutionize education by allowing learners – both young and old – to internalize knowledge through the process of learn-by-doing.

PowerPoint is boring. Today, professors are letting students pass virtual notes in class on Twitter. They're trying "clickers" that turn classrooms into game shows. They're videotaping classes to let students watch lecture reruns to cram for the test, or to share the knowledge with the world on YouTube. They're monitoring how many minutes students spend reading online textbooks to see who needs help.This session will explore some surprising ways tech is changing classroom dynamics and leading to the end of the lecture as we know it. While enthusiasts see the high-tech changes as a needed upgrade to a model that is hundreds of years old, others see dangers ahead. Is all that gear a distraction? Is academic freedom threatened when Web tools and video make public the once-sacred space of the classroom?Participants are asked to watch a 5-minute video (chronicle.com/lecturefail) before attending the talk, which will serve as a starting for an interactive presentation and discussion.

Education is stuck in the past. Yet, after decades of incubation, technology is revolutionizing teaching, learning, and assessment. Around the world, people are increasingly using mobile devices to connect with each other and the Internet. This transition is laying the foundation for exponential growth in mobile learning. Simultaneously, games are being adopted as tools for teaching and assessment of higher-order thinking. This panel consists of experts from industry, higher education, and K-12. They will discuss and answer questions about technology’s potential to solve today’s most pressing education issues. Dr. Paul Resta is a professor at UT Austin. Dr. Michael Mayrath was a Harvard Postdoctoral Fellow and is CEO of GYLO (GetYa Learn On) – an educational software company specializing in mobile learning & game-based assessment. Dr. Priya Nihalani was a UT University Fellow and is GYLO’s Chief Scientist. David Conover teaches game design at Connally High School, Pflugerville ISD.

School budget cuts, high unemployment (over 20% for youth), and a global economy – No wonder parents are concerned about their child’s success and 70% of teens say they want more guidance. What can you do? In this exciting and engaging panel, kicked-off with an opening by America’s best-known Administrator – Iqbal Theba who plays “Prinicipal Figgins” in the hit TV show, Glee – and led by Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal columnist Jennifer Openshaw (Oprah, CNN), you'll learn how technology and social media can drive your child’s success and where it can’t.